Leyland Cypress – Burned

Q: Some meathead tossed a lit cigar onto my dormant bermudagrass lawn. It burned come of my grass and spread into the mulch under my Leyland cypresses. Some lower limbs of these trees burned before the fire was extinguished. Will they recover?

A: You’re lucky you have any Leyland cypresses left! These needled evergreen shrubs/trees go up in a “Whoosh!” if they are dry in summer. Based on your photos, my guess is that the burned branches will not green up. You’ll have an open spot where the damaged limbs once were. However, over the next few years, nearby limbs may send fresh greenery into the open area, looking for sunshine. My prediction is that unless the fire hurt the main trunk, the Leylands will gradually look less and less “bad” and in a few years you’ll barely notice the damage.